4.5 stars ARC review

NOTE: this book lost points deservedly for two instances I want to share first because I totally understand it would deter people from reading:

1. the r-slur is used (it makes sense for the character but it was still unnecessary obviously)
2. HP reference - literally why?? who knows.

FURTHER NOTE: Half His Age is a coming-of-age novel about sexual abuse and grooming, so read with care. I can already smell the reviews coming about how this isn't sexual abuse because the younger party pursued the older and he denied her advances and blah blah blah. The relationship dynamic in this book is one built from a power imbalance - an older male teacher taking advantage of a vulnerable female student. Trauma can make young people hyper sexual and make it harder to make decisions in these instances, which is why adults must safeguard people like Waldo. I understand this is hard for some people to wrap their head around if they have not experienced grooming or "consensual" (because it's not) sexual abuse. This book is told from the victim's perspective, not the perpetrator's, so even though I would not consider this a relationship, my review will reflect Waldo's perspective/narration.

ANYWAY LET ME GET TO THE REVIEW

Half His Age is Jennette McCurdy's fiction debut after he wildly successfully memoir I'm Glad My Mom Died. Waldo is a 17 year old girl whose self-worth and actions are driven by an absent father and all-but-absent mother. She seeks affection and temporary gratification wherever she can find it, mainly from sex and binge shopping. She is living one step at a time as an outsider to her peers when her life is turned upside down by the arrival of a creative writing teacher, Mr Korgy. Mr Korgy is married with a young child and he is irresistible to Waldo. He makes her feel special and above her peers which feeds her obsession. The pair become involved and Waldo will do anything to keep her fantasy alive.

This is literary fiction and the narration and tone are identical to I'm Glad My Mom Died (possibly even more brusque and unrefined) so if you weren't a fan you won't like this book. I loved IGMMD so no surprises I loved this too! There's not fluff or beating around the bush, words are used economically and it's often shocking. This book is definitely not for everyone but it IS for me. The good news is I would say if you read 10 pages and aren't into it, you can put it down because it won't grow on you.

Waldo is a character study about unhealthy attachments and how palpable desperation can become when it feels like your whole life hinges on one person and how you can meet their needs. A lot of people will read this and jump to "daddy issues" but there's so much more going on with Waldo. She emulates the behaviours her mother has exhibited her whole life: a cycle of being wrapped up in a man, sacrificing any footing you have to make them happy, and life being over when they leave until someone comes along to fill the gap. Waldo has been starved of real friendship, protection and affection minus a few glimpses from her mother, and it really feels like life or death when she receives these things from Mr Korgy and feels them slipping away.

Jennette McCurdy does a fantastic job of creating tension that hangs over literally every word. Beyond the affair and the fear of being caught, I was on edge reading because I quickly realised there was no telling what Waldo would do next or how much she was willing to jeopardise herself. As someone who really related to Waldo, I also feared what would happen to her next or how she would be betrayed. I felt like I was backed into a corner with her and I just wanted to pull her out.

I'm so glad this lived up to my expectations and I would read anything Jennette McCurdy writes.